How to Clean a Penny - All About Cleaning Copper Pennies
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I think one of the reasons that money is considered dirty is that after it's been in circulation a while it starts to look really dirty. So sometimes you just want to clean your pennies. So I wondered how many ways I could find to clean copper pennies. It turns out that there is more information than you would expect on the simple job of cleaning pennies. Many of these ideas work for cleaning dimes, nickels and quarters as well. I haven't tried all of these myself, so proceed at your own risk, I can't guarantee that they will work or won't damage your coins.
First, make sure you really want to clean them. If they are collectibles, you may destroy their value by cleaning them. Look it up in a coin price guide or seek the advice of someone who knows the value for truly old coins.
None of these techniques are recommended for coins that have a value greater than the face value.
You should also be aware that pennies minted since 1982 are not really copper pennies, but are actually 97.5% zinc, and only 2.5% copper. This was done because it started to take more than 1 cents worth of copper to make a copper penny. And the zinc coins are degraded more by the acidic solutions like vinegar in these techniques, so use them with care. Read more about this at Fun Facts from the US Mint
Doctor Floyd Cleans His Pennies
Salt and Vinegar
This one sounds like a potato chip recipe. The most popular solution I've found is to combine a weak acid like vinegar or lemon juice with salt for a cleaning solution, which actually forms a mild hydrochloric acid. The process includes:
Supplies: 1 teaspoon of table salt, 1/4 of white vinegar, and a shallow bowl to mix them in.Simply put the vinegar in the bowl, and mix in the salt. Add the pennies that you want to clean, and let them sit for up to 5 minutes. Be aware that if you put too many dirty pennies in the solution it will eventually beccome too dirty itself, and you will need to refresh your solution. Be careful with this approach with zinc pennies, as the vinegar attacks the zinc pretty agressively.
Pencil Eraser for Cleaning Pennies
One technique almost anyone can try is the pencil eraser. Simply start rubbing the penny with a clean pencil eraser. If you like this tecnique and have a lot of pennies to clean, those of us old enough to remember taking a drafting class remember the little motorized erasers that resembles a Dremel tool, and you can probably still find one at a drafting supply shop. These use a long eraser about the size of a pencil, so you can clean pennies a long time with a single eraser.
Another alternative is to use a vinyl eraser. Vinyl erasers don't contain the abrasives that can be found in typical pencil eraser so your penny stock is not as likely to be abraided.
Copper Cleaners
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Taco Sauce Cleaners
Probably the next most common approach is the use of taco sauce for cleaning pennies. For some reason Taco Bell hot taco sauce gets mentioned the most, but others can work as well. On site this guy evaluated several types of taco sauce for cleaning pennies
The bottom line seemed to be that the vinegar and salt in taco sauce were the active ingredients. If you want to try it, simply take the taco sauce and put a layer of the sauce on the penny, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then wipe it clean, and rinse it in water, and it should be cleaner.Commercial Cleaners
There are commercial coin cleaners, but you probably need to clean a lot of coins to justify the expense. Other commercial cleaners that are popular choices include Brasso, but in general these are pretty strong cleaners and probably would not be your first choice.
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Steel Wire Brush Technique
I guess this works, but if you are at all concerned about the penny being damaged, this doesn't look like the best approach. Basically, you use a small tool like a Dremel tool with a wire brush attachment, and clean the penny with that. Sometimes folks recommend using a cleaner like Brasso along with the wire brush, but all in all this seems like more work and more damage than it's worth. But it's an idea. A less destructive idea is to use a soft bristled tooth brush.
Ciilit for Cleaning Pennies
This video is pretty entertaining. It's patterned after the popular show the Mythbusters, and they take a look at using the cleaner Cillit for cleaning copper pennies.
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Comments - Your Favorite Ways to Clean PenniesLoading...
Great writeup! I used the eraser method when I was a kid.
Do you think I should hang on to my pennies because the value will go up? That is what I have heard, so I bought some rolls (and have hung on to a bunch). Now I know how to clean them.
Don't take this as investment advice, but I seem to always hang on to my change. We used to collect little coin banks as souveniers, so I've got change hanging around from 30 years ago. But, don't clean them if you really think they are worth something.
Drop your pennies into a glass of coca cola for a short while and they will clean up beautifully - but don't leave them in too long or they will disappear completely!
Great cleaning tips which i will use for other more important things that need cleaning in my home because i give all my pennys to charity:/
ps.
Hub reminds me of this song "Penny lover" by Lionel Richie!
What a great hub! There are so many ways to do this.
Have you thought of getting out more?
Nice hub i had to do a scince project and i used the erasour method, it really worked and you got me an A+!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
I found a penny from 1925 and it is almost black that it is so dirty. but i dont know if i should clean it.
I used the eraser method on a pennie from 1978 and it worked really well
I did the eraser method and it worked
nice job :)
i had to do a science fair experiment for school on witch worked the best, salt and vinegar, pencil eraser or taco sause. i havnt done the project yet but they were good ideas thanks a lot.
paige
ketchup works well also
i'm doing a science project on cleaning pennies :]
anything that might even be valuable shouldn't be cleaned in any of these ways, as you so rightly say!
i have not tried any of these yet but i have heard of the eraser and heard it worked so i am going to do that for a project at school!!
Were doing a project on pennies too. whats the best way 2 clean a penny? write back soon!!!!!!!!
do these methods really work??
I tried the pencil eraser one and it totally worked. One question though: How do you get rid of the green stuff on it?
I used taco bell taco sauce and it totally worked!
oh my gosh these products are fantastic
try ketchup and lemon juice iy works !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
england rules
try using orange juice
which cleans a penny faster salt and vineger or lime juice
OMG, This Website Is Awesome.. Bahaa:)
It Helped Me A LOT :D
Thank Youuu(:
i used the eracer method. it dose work. you would need a bigger eracer than the one at the of a pencil.
cleaning pennies is a fun project
I going to be doing a science project on what kinds ofjuice cleans pennies best. any advice?
nice job
i am doing a science project on these
your website really helped
i am gonna use the pencil eraser one on my project
thanks alot
im doing what liquid cleans a penny the best i hope this works !!!
orange juice is also a good way to clean a dirty penny also is coke
ha im doing this for the science fair. the pencil eraser worked the best. u can also use lemon juice.
i love the pincil eraser it so worked i got a 100
I THINK IT IS COOL.I AM BBBBBBB
Great writing! I really will double think eating taco sauce next time. If it can do that to a penny, well I'm sure you see the humor. Thanks for the read.
i'm doing this for science and i will try it thanks.
urrg i cant find others peoples results for cleaning pennies anywhere. Can anyone help
Me and my friend are doing a science fair project, and found that lemon juice works really well!! :P
I did not use the pencil eraser but i will tell you what cleans good. I think that orange juice is the best.
The eraser works pretty well but you have to be willing to spend a lot if time on it because it takes a while. So good luck all you penny cleaners out there!
i got to help my cousin with his science fair project and lemon juice is working
Thanks for helping yo I have got good info for my project
OMG! I didnt know that any of these would clean pennies(except the salt and vinegar). I might do this for a science fair project and thank you for this idea! Also thank you to everyone else who gave different ideas! I just tried the pencil eraser one and it worked really well surprisingly! well thanx again!
Basicly anything acidic or carbonated can clean a penny so orange juice, lemon juice, sodas, vinegar, or many cleaners like windex will also work.
these are great. at first my dad and i used the viniger and salt method, it cleaned it a bit, but this coin was really dirty, it even had clumps of clay on it! then dad was busy on the phone. i became fascinated and very eagre to clean the 1936 penny he had found on a job. so then i tried the eraser method, i got a bit of the shine up, but it was too slow for me. then i tried the steel wool method, great results, i highly recomend it. theres still a bit of dirt on the penny, not much though. it is now resting in ajax because we dont have any cillit. thanks heaps for the advice :D
Cleaning coins is NOT for old or anything collectible! You could have a very rare coin worth $1000s and just by cleaning it you could drop the value to $10 or LESS! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check that the coin you want to clean is worth only face value before you do ANYTHING to the surface. This goes for any coin. A dirty surface can make it worth less than a shiny one, but cleaning damages the coin and can make it worth nothing.
wow, this is great for my science project! thx alot!
I use the vinegar method but I rarely use salt with it. They looks beautiful in a matter of minutes but if you leave them in too long they start to go blue (and the vinegar). Make sure you rinse the coins with water after or tiny crystals will start to grow.
Susan x
this is gerat
This sounds like a cool experiment for little kids. Thanks for sharing this Hub!
Thx... Was going to use this to help my bro for extra credit points but he didn't want it.. I tried it anyway and it worked soooooooooo.....….. :o)
Ill use this for an experiment!
wow that is a cool experiment!!! cool for kids too.
there is a penny from 1943, that ot worth around $40,000-$60,000!! these are very rare though, and do not stic to a magnet. most of these pennies have been found, but there are still a few out there that are VERY rare and valuable!! (:
These methods are so unbelievably cool. I am working on a project for a science fair. It's my first science fair so I want to get an A!!!I wrote down all these methods and I'm crazy enough to try them all. My dad might be scared because I told him I would use clorox and now he says I need goggles,gloves, and so much more. Thx whoever you are!!!^.^
The rare 1943 penny was made from cannon brass. MCD Big Mac sause works well also.
Pre 1982 pennies are now worth 2 cents in copper value. So Congress made it unlawful to scrap pennies.
These might work for my project!!!
Ketchup is the best to use when cleaning copper pennies.It works out great,believe me.Smear it on and let it set a few mins or more.Rub off with clean dry towel or sponge,then rinse under water.
I did a science project on cleaning copper pennies, i didnt use any of these ones though but the best one that I used was lemon and salt together for 30 secs. you should try it.
Mothers mag aluminum polish
i love pennies
Heinz sweet relish cleaned my penny with absolutelu NO RUBBING in five mionutes
u can also use tapatio it also cleans it ;D
thanks i will try it
need new was to clean pennys
cool
Links of Interest for Penny Lovers!
- PennyCollector.com - The official website for elongated pennies, penny
The original elongated souvenir penny book with the coin on the cover.Penny Machine locations around the world, Collecting Tips, EC History, Online Store, and more!
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writerlady 3 years ago
I never realize you could cleanse pennies in so many different ways